Google Allo

Google recently launched its Google Duo for Android and iOS which is a video calling app. And this time, it’s Google Allo that has hit the market with its popularity.

Allo basically is a messaging app that claims that it’d rule over most of our messaging apps but it’s very different from Hangouts.

The main difference is that Allo comes with some machine learning built in, courtesy of Google Assistant, the company’s virtual assistant. As explained by Engineering Director Erik Kay on stage at Google I/O 2016, Allo is a ‘smart’ messaging app that learns over time to make conversations both easier and more productive.

Firstly, you’d get smart and quick replies from the Google Assistant. Secondly, Google claims that the assistant would learn all the personalisations with time. It’ll work when asked things like if you want to go out for dinner, but will also suggest responses to photos because, Google being Google, the company can analyse the photo and its contents, understand the context and suggest a response.

But it doesn’t stop here. Like Facebook’s chatbots, you can talk directly to Google Assistant via text allowing you to search for anything you desire without even leaving the app. You can type “@Google” in the chat window to talk directly to Google Assistant, and it’ll provide you with what you require – be it search results or a funny GIF to share with friends. It’s contextual and will remember previous conversations so you can just carry on where you left off last time if necessary.

Apart from Google Assistant support, Allo is a fairly simple-to-use but feature hungry messaging app. You sign up with your mobile number much like WhatsApp instead of a Google account, as it means both iOS and Android users can use the service.

It also features ‘Expressions’ which are essentially amped-up emojis and stickers that can be used in-chat. Speaking of chat, Allo features an incognito mode that offers end-to-end encryption and expiring chats for those ‘private’ conversations, also offering private notifications to keep prying eyes around you looking at your messages.

Clearly, it’s a very essential app which takes up only 9MB space in your phone but offers features that you’ve been waiting for.

It’s available for free on Play Store but if you can’t download or find it there, below is the link to download.